MMA is a popular sport in Brazil today, but that wasn’t the scenario back after Pentagon Combat in 1997.

The sport was still growing, and the events basically matched fighters to defend their martial arts inside a ring. Jiu-jitsu dominated the scene, but the luta livre competitors wanted their revenge for their losses six years before. Pentagon Combat was created to feature more classic battles between jiu-jitsu and luta livre on Sept. 27 of that year, but the night didn’t end well...